Vending-machine.



R. PERGUSSON.

VENDING MACHINE.

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Patented May 2, 1911.

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3 u x W n NN L Am N R? m a 3 7w -1 M a w sm 2% R. FERGUSSON. VENDING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED APLS, 1909.

991,143. Patented May 2,1911.

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UNTTE TATE% PATENT @FFEQE.

ROBERT FERGUSSON, OF LESTERSHIRE, NEW YORK.

VENDING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnn'r FnnoUssoN, citizen of the United States, residing at Lestershire, in the county of Brooms and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to coin operated,

vending machines and particularly to that class of vending machine wherein the coin deposited forms one of the elements where by the vending mechanism is ope "ated.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of the class described adapted upon the deposit of a coin to eject a spray of perfume, a definite measure of lozenges or other like commodity and a card or other flat object.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior of my vending machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof from the front to rear on the line 22 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the internal mechanism, the front of the casing being removed. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the internal mechanism detached from the cas ing, and Fig. 5 is a detail section of the lower end of the coin slot supporting plate at the end of a shiftable cross-bar.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the accompanying drawing 2 designates a casing of any suitable character having preferably an outwardly projecting intermediate shelf. The casing at its front is provided with the opposed coin slots 3, the opposed ejecting openings 5, the ejecting slot 4, and the lozenge ejecting noz zle 6. At the side of the machine is provided a handle 7 mounted upon a rotatable shaft 8 which is carried in bearings transversely across the lower end of the casing. Attached to the shaft at one end and at the other attached to the casing 2 is a spring Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 1909.

Patented May 2, 1911.

Serial No. 487,884.

9 which acts to resist the rotation of the shaft 8 and to provide for the returning of the shaft to its original position as an actuation of the handle 7.

The interior of the casing is divided by a shelf 10 which supports the operating mechanism and is formed with a rearwardly extending slot 11 through which projects an arm 12 fastened to the shaft 8 midway of the same. The arm 12 projects up through the slot 11 and engages in an opening 14 in a flat sliding plunger 13. Rearward of the opening 14 the fiat plate 13 forming the plunger is formed with the upwardly projecting angularly faced ribs 15. Mounted upon the shelf 10 is the guide plate 16 which is longitudinally slotted as at 17 and is formed at its ends with angular bridges 18 which are arched over the ends of the slot 17 and are adapted to contact with the rib 15 upon the actuation of the plunger rod 13. It will be seen that the angular faces of the rib 15 contact with the angular inner faces of the bridges 18 so that the plunger is guided in its longitudinal movement. The rear end of the plate 16 is formed with two outwardly inclined legs 19, and is attached in any suitable manner to the shelf 10.

The rear end of the plunger rod 14 is formed with the upwardly and outwardly projecting opposed arms 20 the upper ends of which are perforated as at 21.

To the inner rear face of the casing 2 is attached a plate 22 having opposed portions 23 each of which is formed on its lower edge ith an upwardly and outwardly inclined slot 24: sufficiently large to accommodate the upwardly and outwardly inclined ends of the cross-piece 20. The plate 22 and the cross-piece 20 are of the same thickness inwardly. hen the cross-piece 20 is in its rearmost position its face is flush with the outer face 22. Pins 25 are located on each side of the slot 24 near its lower end and project outward from the plate 22 so as to form a support for the coin arriving at the end of the coin chute.

There are two coin chutes 26 and 27, these extend downwardly from the coin slots 3 and terminate as at 2 8 and 29. Just above the upwardly extending ends of the crossbar 20, the extremities of the portions 28 and 29 are cut away in the form of a semicircle as shown at 30, so that a coin deposited in the chute and arriving at the extre1n ity thereof will rest upon the pins 25 and be supported thereby while the upper edge of the coin is free of the lower edge of the coin chutes 28 and 29.

Supported on both sides of the slide plate 16 are the air compression cylinders 31 and 32. lVithin these cylinders operate pistons 33 each of which have a rearwardly projecting piston rod which is in alinement with the perforation 21 in the cross-piece 20 so that when the crossbar 20 is moved forward the piston rod 34- will enter the perforation, thus the cross-bar will slide upon the piston rod under ordinary circumstances and will not affect the same. Located within each of the cylinders 31 and 32 is a compression spring 35 which resists the inward movement of the pistons 33 and acts to return the pistons to their original posi tion. The normal position of the pistons is such that the rearmost extremities of the piston rods 3 1 are just in front of the coin chutes 29 or 28 and that is in line with the front face of said chutes. Each of the cylinders 31 and 32 is provided with an inwardly opening air valve 37 and each of the cylinders has extending from its forward end the upwardly projecting air conduct-.

ing pipes 38 which leads to any suitable atomizing devices which are connected to the perfume containers 3 and 4-0. In the construction illustrated each of the containers has the form of a bottle and the atomizing devices consist of a tube 11 extending downward into the bottle at its upper end connected to the air conducting pipes 38, and projecting out of the casing 2 in the form of a spray nozzle 4:2. From this construction it will be seen that upon a movement of the pistons in either one of the cylinders air will be compressed in said cylinder to a certain extent and forced upward through the connected conducting pipe 38 and that acting upon the atomizing devices it will force a spray of perfume from the containers 39 or a0 out from the front of the casing. The containers and 10 contain different perfumes and by placing the coin in the corresponding slot 3 in front of the casing it will be positioned to obtain a perfume desired. This coin passes downward through one or the other of the chutes 26 or 27 according to the perfume desired and is finally deposited upon the pins 25 in front of the upwardly turned arm of the outwardly turned end of the cross-bar 20. Under these circumstances upon an actuation of the handle 7 the plunger rod 13 will be moved forward carrying the cross-bar 20. The coin will be clamped between the end of the cross-bar and the piston rod 3% and thus the piston rod will be moved inward expelling the perfume as before described.

l n order to provide means for detaching the coin from its engagement between the up 'ardly turned end of the cross-bar 20 and the piston rod, 1 support in any suitable manner a ratchet-bar This bar extends parallel to the path of the coin and has ratchet teeth which project into the path of the coin so as to contact with the edge thereof. The ratchet teeth have their inclined edges extending outwardly, and hence as the coin is moved outward it will engage with these inclined edges and force the 'atchet bar 43 laterally, the ratchet bar being free at one end and being resiliently supported. Upon a return movement, how ever, the edge of the coin will contact with the teeth of the ratchetbar which will dislodge the coin and permit it to drop downward into the lower portion of the casing or any suitable receptacle therefor.

The mechanism so far disclosed has been for the purpose of ejecting a spray of perfume of one kind or another from the front of the casing. In addition, however, 1 combine wit-h this a means for ejecting a definite quantity of small lozenges or perfume in a granular or pilular form. To this end I support upon the shelf 10 a supporting frame 14L having a transverse shelf f5 and an inwardly projecting shelf or bracket plate 16. The shelf 45 is provided with bearings 17 in which a'rocking bar d8 is pivotally supported. This rocking bar has downwardly projecting arms 49 which extend down in front of the lower ends 28 and 29 of the coin chutes, the extremities of the arms 49 projecting slightly below the lowest portion of the coin chutes so as to be engaged by the margin of a coin moved outward upon the ends of the cross-bar 20, in the manner heretoforedescribed. The middle of the rock shaft 48 is formed with the up *ardly and outwardly projecting arm 50. Mounted upon the bracket plate at is the pivoted cut-off plate 51 having at one portion thereof the port- 52 and having on its end the projecting fingers 53 between which the arm extends. The plate 51 may be pivoted upon a stud 5 f projecting upward from the plate 4-6 or in any other suitable manner. Supported in the casing about the plate 51 is the container 55, the lower end of which is hopper shaped as at 56 and extends downward to the plate 51 so that when the plate is in one position itwill completely close the lower end of the hopper 5G and when in the other position so that its port 52 991,143 list will register with the opening of the hopper 56. Supported below the cut-off plate 51 is the conducting chute 57 having a cup shaped end portion 58. The lower end of the chute extends downward to the opening 6 in front of the casing. When the cross bar 20 is in its rearmost position the rockshaft 48 is turned so that its arm 50 holds the cut-off plate 51 into position to close the end of the hopper, when however the coin actuating mechanism is operated the rockshaft is rocked, turning the plate 51 upon its pivot until the port 52 registers with the hopper whereupon a certain definite quantity of the commodity will be discharged into the cup 58 and passed down the chute 57 to the exterior of the casing.

It is also my object that simultaneously with the ejection of the spray of perfume and the discharge of the granular perfume in the opening 6 the machine shall also discharge a tablet like article such as a card or a tablet of chocolate or chewing gum. To this end I support upon the rear of the machine a container 60, open at its front so that its contents may be seen through the glass plate 61 set in the front of the casing 2, and having the inwardly turned flanges 62. This container is adapted to accom' modate a plurality of cards or like flattened articles 64 and to allow them to feed clownward through the container as they are one by one ejected. The ejecting mechanism consists of the outwardly projecting track plates 65 having thereon the tracks or guiding ribs 66. Movable along the track plates 65 and between the ribs 66 is a sliding plate 67 the rear edge of which has an upwardly turned transverse flange 68 of a thickness about the same as that of one of the tablet like articles to be delivered. To the under side of the plate 67 is attached a flexible cord or other connection 69 which passes over a pulley 70 supported between the forward ends of the track plates 65. This cord at the forward end is attached to the upper end of the arm 50 upon the rock shaft 48 so that as this shaft is rocked and the arm 50 moves forward the cord 69 will be drawn upon, thus drawing the plate 68 forward along its track and carrying with it the lowermost one of the articles 64, and ejecting the same through the slot 4 of the easing. In order to return the sliding plate 67 to its original position I attach to the rear of the casing an upwardly extending spring 71 whose upper end engages with a downwardly extending lug 7 2 which is attached to the under face of the plate 67. Thus it will be seen that as the plate 67 is moved forward the spring 71 will be flexed and that when the arm 48 is released by reason the spring 71 will withdraw the plate 67 to its original position beneath the lower end of the container 60.

I have also made provision for preventing the dropping of a coin into its place on the supporting pins 25 at a time when the crosspiece 20 is in its forward position. If no such provision were made, a coin accidentally inserted in the coin slot before the complete actuation of the machine, and the return of the parts to their normal condition, would act to block the return of the cross piece 20 and thus completely obstruct the machine so as to prevent its future actuation until the coin so dropped was removed. For the purpose of preventing this I provide springs 73, one for each of the upwardly turned portions 23 of the plate 22. The springs are attached to the rear face of the plate 22 preferably in grooves formed in the plate in the lower ends and so bent as to form an outwardly projecting finger 74 and an outwardly projecting lower terminal 75.

The spring is so arranged from the plate 22 that the finger is in alinement with the upper end of the slot 24, this finger being long enough when it is projected to extend across the mouth of the coin chute immediately above. The outwardly bent terminal 75 of the spring extends out through the slot 24 so as to be engaged by the upwardly turned end of the cross-bar 20 when in its normal position. It will be seen from this construction that when the cross-bar 20 is in its rearmost position it engages with the terminal 75 and forces it rearward thus carrying the finger 74 rearward and leaving the mouth of the coin chute entirely unobstructed but as the crossbar 20 moves forward carrying a coin as before described, the resiliency of the spring 7 3 will force the finger 74 outward and across the mouth of the coin chute thus preventing a coin dropped into said chute from being delivered from the mouth thereof until the crossbar 20 has returned to its original position and forced the spring 7 3 rearward.

The operation of my invention is sufficiently clear from what I have before stated. Upon the dropping of a coin into one or the other of the slots 8 and the actuation of the handle 7, a jet of perfume will be ejected from one or the other of the perfume nozzles 6 as before described. At the same time lozenges or other granular material will be discharged from the opening 5 and a card or other flattened obj set will be discharged from the slot 4. Upon a release of the handle the spring 9 will return the shaft 8 to its original position, the springs 35 will return the pistons or the air compressing cylinders to their original positions and the spring 71 will reof the complete actuation of the machine 1 tract the slide 67. It will be seen that unless a coin is deposited in the slot no actuation will take place and that a rotation of the handle 7 will merely operate the shaft 8 the plunger rod 13 and move the cross-bar 20 forward but without actuating the piston rods 34, which in this case pass through the perforations 21. There being no coin the arms 49 will not be engaged by the outwardly moving cross-bar and hence neither the cut-off plate 51 nor the slide 67 will be operated. It will also be observed that a complete operation of the handle is necessary in order to secure any return. A certain amount of perfume may be ejected by the card or other article carried by the slide 67 and not be ejected unless the slide is moved to its full extent. A reciprocation of the handle 7 through the middle portion of its stroke and a consequent reciprocation of the cross-bar 20 and the piston rod 34 is also prevented by the notched ratchet bar 43 which will act upon any rearward movement of the cross-bar 20 to discharge the coin from engagement with the crossbar and to permit it to fall.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. In a check-controlled apparatus of the character described, the combination with a plurality of plungers, each having a rod, and independent springs one for each plunger, resisting the operative movement of the plungers and returning them to their normal position, of a sliding operating bar, a cross piece carried on the bar and having a plurality of heads, each adapted to receive a check, each head having an opening in alinement with one of the plunger rods and larger than the plunger rod, manually operated means for moving said slide and cross piece toward the plungers, and means for returning the manually operated means and said slide to their normal position, said means being independent of the means forreturning the plungers to their normal position.

2. In a check-controlled apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a plurality of plungers each having a plunger rod, and independent springs one for each plunger, resisting the operative movement of the plungers and returning the plungers to their normal position after actuation, of a sliding operating bar, a cross piece carried on the bar and having a plurality of upwardly projecting heads each adapted to carry a check between it and the corresponding plunger, each head having an opening in alinement with one of the plunger rods and larger than the plunger rod, a back plate having a recess in. its face into which said heads on the cross piece are received, pairs of pins projecting out from the back plate on each side of each head carried by the cross piece when the cross piece is in its inoperative position and forming check sup ports, a plurality of chutes for depositing checks upon said pairs of pins, manually operated means for moving said slide and cross piece toward the plungers, and means for returning the manually operated means and said slide to their normal position, said means being entirely independent of the means for returning the plungers to their normal position.

3. In a check-controlled apparatus of the character described, the combination with compression cylinders, a plunger in each cylinder, a rod attached to the plunger and extending out of the cylinder, and springs disposed one within each cylinder and acting against the movement of the plunger, and also acting to return the plunger to its initial position, of a sliding operating bar disposed bet-ween the cylinders, a cross piece carried 011 the end of the sliding operating bar and having oppositely disposed, upwardly turned heads extending each into a position in alinement with one of said plunger rods, and each provided with an opening alining with said plunger rod but larger than the same, an operating handle, a spring for returning the operating handle to its original position, a connection between the operating handle and the slide, whereby the slide shall be moved toward the plungers upon amovement of the handle.

4. In a check-controlled apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a coin chute, of a plate located at the lower end of the coin chute and having projecting pins upon which a coin may rest, said plate being cut away beneath the coin chute, a spring mounted on the rear of said plate and having an outwardly extending portion adapted to project through said cut-away part and normally extending beneath the coin chute and retaining a coin therein, a head movable into the cut-away portion of the plate and adapted in its rearward movement to force the spring from beneath the coin chute, said head being formed with a central perforation, a plunger supported in alinement with the opening in the head and resiliently forced toward the head, dispensing mechanism actuated by said plunger, and manually operated means for moving said head toward the plunger.

5. In a check-controlled apparatus, the combination with a coin chute, of a plate mounted at the lower end of the coin chute, said plate being cut away immediately be neath the coin chute, pins on the plate adapted to support a coin, a spring on the plate having an inwardly extending crimped portion at its middle adapted in its normal position to project beneath the lower end of the coin chute, the lower end of said spring being outwardly extended, a head movable into the out-away portion of the plate and adapted to engage with the inwardly projecting portion of the spring to force the spring rearward when the head is moved beneath the coin chute, said head being perforated, a plunger rod supported in ahnement with the perforations of the head and connected to dispensing mechanism, means formoving said head away from the coin chute to operate the rod, resilient means for returning said head to its inoperative position, and means for returnin the plunger.

In testimony whereof I afhx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT FERGUSSON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. DICKINSON, J. E. RICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

